


Baby Daddy

by Stattic_Scribbles



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men (Original Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25368271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stattic_Scribbles/pseuds/Stattic_Scribbles
Summary: Erik Lehnsherr has put his past behind him to return to Charles Xavier’s side; of course the past has a way of catching back up to you. Erik and Charles now have to raise Peter as their own; which involves a level of responsibility they can handle; of course when Peter’s powers develop, frighteningly fast in both senses of the word; they have to learn to adapt to whatever runs their way
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 35
Kudos: 41





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Basically the series Baby Daddy has been made into a multi-chapter/ it's own universe; aka throwing everything but the pieces of canon I enjoy out of the window

Charles avoided practically everything after his ‘accident’ as everyone referred to it as. As much as Charles hated it; he was grateful that Erik wasn’t here while he was recovering. He knew if Erik was here half of the rehab he’d be doing would be assisted by Erik’s gift; metal carefully keeping him steady and supported in ways he couldn’t feel. That Erik would be consumed by guilt, tortured by how pitiful Charles looked. It’s why when Hank perfected his serum; using himself as a guinea pig like always; he’d rejected it. How cruel of him, he thinks, that if Erik returns he wants him to suffer. Hank assures him it’s a normal feeling but Charles bites down his anger when Raven returns; arm dragging Hank into the kitchen to whisper in a way that tells him he’s not allowed to listen in. He doesn’t; Hank had left him with a few serum filled needles for emergencies; for when they went out and the waves of pity and sorrow he’d feel from everyone else threatened to pull him down, he does wonder what Raven is talking about but he assumes it can wait.

Raven wraps him into a hug, he’d seated himself on the couch and she spends two hours just sitting next to him telling him about everything that’s been going on. Hank’s sitting on the edge of his chair; Charles doesn’t tell him to relax; he’d passed off the nervousness and agitation as the serum he’d made; not at the growing terror Raven had moved on from him and something they never had. Charles grows sick of Hank’s pining within the next two hours and is about to bring it up but then there’s a puff of smoke and Azazel scoffs, shoving someone forward muttering.

“He’s infuriating; babysit him, your problem.” Erik glares as Azazel vanishes and Raven laughs; Hank hides his smile and Charles doesn’t say anything. Erik sinks back into the armchair; and Charles resists the urge to say welcome home. The mansion isn’t Erik’s home anymore than it’s Ravens now. Erik looks up and sighs.

“Can; can we talk…”

“Of course.” Charles makes no move to dismiss Hank or Raven, but they both get up and rush out, both glancing back at Erik and Charles nervously.

“What do you need this time?” Charles spits it out and he wonders if this frustration was always there. He glares and isn’t surprised when Erik doesn’t wilt; but he still seems to be mulling something over before he sighs again, swallowing. Charles doesn’t need to read his mind; or even probe it to see the nerves in Erik; how his hand shakes slightly when he reaches out.

“Another chance.” Charles doesn’t look at him; he knows he’d give in if he did. Erik just stands there, hand still shaking and extended and Charles wonders if he means to lift him up; to help him stand. Curiosity gets the better of him; it’s what he uses an excuse as he reaches his hand out, barely brushing Erik’s fingers and he can feel the shaking stop for a moment; see the faint dampness in his eyes. Charles is waiting for the hand to grasp his. Instead he watches as Erik kneels in front of him and sighs. Charles would find it offensive if he hadn’t noticed Erik’s stumbling steps to get in front of him; the weight of himself wearing him down.

“I am tired.” Erik offers as an excuse. Charles can’t sense a lie; although he’d always been easier on Erik than others.

“You must have done so much, in a short time; to be so off kilter.” Charles offers, speaking for the first time as a peace offering of sorts.

“I am tired; of being without you.”

“You don’t-” Charles starts, the frustration bubbling up and Erik swallows, waiting and watching. He’s never one to back down from anything and Charles can’t fault him for trying to stay his course.

“You don’t get to make that decision.” Erik nods, bowing his head slightly; Charles knows he’s waiting to be sent away.

“Not alone at least.” Erik moves immediately, resting his head on Charles’ unfeeling knee; he’s about to pull back, Charles thinks it would be funny, to watch Erik fumbling over apologies, to pull back and scramble away from what he’d caused; the first time he’d ever get to see Erik run away outside of the beach. Instead Erik just looks up at him and Charles sighs, forgoing any anger that he’d felt instead brushing his fingers against Erik’s cheek; offering him comfort; and assurance; something he knows Erik had felt little of from others.

“Will it just be you?” Charles breaks himself from the stupor of being with Erik in the same room.

“She would have stated regardless.”

“She is always welcome at home.” Erik nods shifting slightly backwards and then turning so he’s sitting next to Charles. Charles makes a point of stretching to pull Erik’s hand towards him.

“As are you; you’re always welcome home.”

“Would the rest of the brotherhood be-”

“As long as they don’t kill anyone.”

Erik’s grin reminds him why he wanted him here in the first place.

Charles waits; it takes another month for all of the Brotherhood members to wander their way into the mansion.

Sean and Angel are the first; Charles just see’s them one morning at breakfast; Angel passes him the plate of toast and Sean offers a choice of marmalade or jam and Charles just accepts this is how everyone else will show up.

Azazel is showy; appearing with a man Charles recognises as working with Shaw. However he puts it behind him; not only because Erik vouches for him but because Janos; as he learns his name is, is much more gentle and calm with his gift than Shaw made him out to be. Charles often finds himself marvelling at Janos’ control; how he can summon whirlwinds to make the leaves dance and reflect certain colours when they land. Logan asks him to make pictures with the leaves, something to entertain the slowly gathering amount of students. Alex doesn’t say anything when Charles reminds him dinner is in an hour; the boy having stood and watched Janos and Logan shaping and moving leaves for hours. 

Erik seems nervous when Charles brings up the idea of a school; when he mentions Moria; the human, the non-mutant. At first Charles thinks it’s Erik’s old ideas bubbling to the surface but he feels an odd amount of guilt when Erik looks to Moria. He pries; just like he always does and finds a figure with similar hair; the colour the only thing matching it seems; but it’s enough to leave Erik feeling guilty at having left the woman.

Erik talks about her two months into him and the brotherhood living with Charles; which is four months after Raven and Erik had made their way back, another month after the reason for their split had happened. Charles feels odd about it; six months of having Erik back and they’re only just now discussing relationships they had without the other; not that Erik counts two nights with the woman as a relationship. Being fair Charles doesn’t count his unsuccessful flirting with Moria while she pays him little mind. He’d taken her memories of that; twisted their time together to keep her safe. He still let her keep the meeting; some of the time spent but pulled any notion of Erik; any potential danger to him or other mutants; which for the most part entailed taking her memories of seeing any of them.

Erik thanks him and seems almost embarrassed about Magda; the pretty brown haired woman in his thoughts and memories that seems everything Charles isn’t. Charles doesn’t comment on how Erik went to the opposite end of the spectrum as him, to avoid any mention of Charles in Magda. Erik insist it’s not true and Charles takes it as an invitation to enter his mind. Erik bristles but shows him the times he’d spent with Magda; besides the nights, the dates and casual time they spent together Charles can feel the creeping sense of wrongness at his earlier assumption, Magda is almost too much like him.


	2. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter arrives at the mansion

Charles doesn’t go out much; which is to say Hank doesn’t like going out without back-ups of the serum and everyone always gives them pitying looks. Charles had heard the thoughts; the pity for him and for Hank, both being forced to stay by each other’s side, and for both of them being ill; Hank passing off the shots as insulin injections easy enough if anyone ever asked.  
When Hank asks him to accompany him to lunch; he’d found someone who was interested in helping with the school; a potential teacher even; Charles knew he’d have to go regardless of who he’d meet. Erik had decided to meet them which was a huge part in Charles actually staying and trying to enjoy the meeting with the teacher.

While the potential teacher is a bust; he does spot a very lovely woman repeatedly glancing over to him although her thoughts are focused mostly on the word mutant and the conversation she had overheard about the school. He watches her from the corner of his eye and he can see Hank glance confused.  
_She’s not your; ah type._ Hank thinks and Charles grins a little laughing. _She’s Erik’s type though, I thought she might be Raven but she would have signalled._ Hank looks slightly disappointed at the mention of Raven and the revelation it isn’t her but puts that away when the woman walks over.  
“I’m really sorry for overhearing; but…”

“Yes I’m Charles Xavier; do you need help?’  
“Magda Maximoff; and not me; my son; he um; well he has the x-gene is that what you call it…”  
“How old is he?” Erik questions as he slides into the seat between her and Charles looking nervously at Magda. Charles watches as she moves in her seat nervously.  
“ He hasn’t shown any powers; but I can tell… I just..” She hesitates and Erik shifts in his seat sitting back and Charles nods trying to look more friendly and helpful.  
“Do you know where Erik Lehnsherr is?” She mumbles and Hank freezes; Erik sighs and is surprised she’s playing dumb; this is what causes Charles to look into her head. Charles tries not to stare shocked but he can’t help it when the memories from her filter into his head; he hadn’t meant to pry but it still seems he has no concept of boundaries when Erik is involved.  
“You think your boy, Peter, is his son?”

“Yes we spent a night together; he had gotten in a fight with his current partner; needed to blow off some steam; I know he would be bothered by a human raising his mutant son; so I’m actually trying to find him. The school sounds like something he would like.” Her last sentence is what breaks Hank from his freeze; he chuckles glancing to Erik who shrugs a little and Magda pretends not to notice. Hank wonders what she’s trying to play at; why she’s pretending that Erik isn’t sitting right next to her and holding Charles’ hand from under the table.

“I’m sure he’d love it; we should have a way of contacting him if you’d like?”  
“Well about that.” She sighs and looks away.  
“You don’t think you can handle your son at all do you? Mutant or not?” Charles’ voice is soft and has none of the harshness that anyone else she had told these thoughts too has. Magda just nods and she feels a hand wrapping around her; Erik pulling her into a half hug.  
“We can help; take care of him if you need; we have a lot of students like that; but not with parents willing to give them the best right off the bat.” Erik nods enthusiastically and it clicks in Hank’s head; Magda wasn’t pretending for her sake that it wasn’t Erik; but for Erik’s to avoid him and Charles having a potential fight; to avoid hurting Erik more after having found out he has a son that he’d abandoned.

When he’s brought back home to meet everyone Peter he stares up at them; smiles; and then erupts into peels of laughter when Hank skips his dose of serum. Magda spends more than enough time explaining about him that he’s seven months old, his current favourite food is bananas in any form; and that that Magda is convinced his power has nothing to do with his fathers. Erik and Charles are slowly learning that Peter’s gift seems to be speed. Much to Erik’s horror when Peter learns to shove himself onto his knees and then forward at a speed where he becomes a silvery blur that has Erik demanding that Hank make him tiny kneepads. Charles laughs when Hank comes into the study where he and Erik are. Hank holds Peter nervously and then nodding as he sets him down.  
“Go to Dad.” Peter giggles and then there’s just a blur before he’s trying to lift himself up onto Charles’ chair.

“Peter; Hank said Dad.” Peter doesn’t pause his attempt at climbing when Erik tries to correct him and Charles lifts him up before sighing.  
“Erik is your dad.”  
“Technically he’s Papa.”  
“What?” Charles furrows his brow and Hank nods.  
“Erik always refers to himself as Papa; everyone does when talking to Peter. You however are referred to as dad; by most of the students including Erik and me when we’re talking to Peter about you.”  
“He’s only ten months old; he should not be this-” Charles pauses, Erik leaning over and pulling Peter.

“I think the speed has helped improve his cognitive and mental abilities.” Hank offers an explanation.  
“Are you telling me..”  
“Yes; his super speed seems to be speeding up his brain development and growth as well. Which means we’re going to need a lot of snacks.”  
“Snacks?”  
“He’ll probably start teething soon. Erik; metal is not an acceptable teething toy.” Hank hisses when a few metal spheres float from the cuffs Erik usually wears.


	3. Words

”He’s crying again; can you see what’s wrong this time?” Erik mumbles from where he’d stuffed his head under the pillow. Charles smiles but it’s lost to the darkness before he carefully enters Peter’s mind.  
“He’s scared..” Charles doesn’t finish explaining that Peter was scared of his open window before Erik is back with his son tucked on his chest.  
“You could have closed the window.”  
“I could have; but he was crying; he’d probably start again if I left.” Erik asserts and Charles nods scooting over in the bed slightly so Peter can rest between them.  
“Thank you for taking him in.” Erik addresses Charles who looks confused, his hand reaching over Peter to nudge Erik’s head closer to his; they almost touch foreheads but Peter prevents this; still both Charles and Erik push the sensation and thoughts of cuddling each other despite Peter being in the way.

Peter doesn’t actually have anyone he dislikes in the mansion; both Erik and Charles won’t admit how pleased they are that his favourite, besides them as his father’s is Raven, with Hank at a close second to her but that’s only because Peter like to nap on his back whenever Hank falls asleep on the couch and the serum runs from his system. Charles had almost caved on the giant plush teddy bear he’d seen in one of the shops but managed to resist the temptation of the joy on Peter’s face and settled for a more modest size, half the size of the four foot giant one in replacement of Hank who would eventually be getting back problems from sleeping on the couch.

Peter’s speed seems to be doubling all of the milestone’s he should be meeting although Charles is the one to panic when Peter goes from his half crawling and blurring into just straight standing and walking; which leads to Charles only being able to tell where Peter is when his thoughts still from careening down the hallways in the mansion. Erik has a much more practical solution; a small metal bracelet which just increases the silver when Peter blurs by but ensures that Erik always knows where he is.

”I know what a birthday party is for Raven. Peter doesn’t have any friends to invite.” Erik mumbles covering Peter’s ears at the last sentence who just giggles.  
“It’s not really for him he’s too young to care.”  
“Peter has plenty of friends here!” Hank interjects and Erik is about to combat this but Angel appears grinning holding two different party hats towards Raven.  
“So blue or yellow?”  
“Both?” Charles offers and Erik narrows his eyes.  
“We can have the party on one condition.”  
“Oh?” Raven grins laughing into her hand when Erik turns to glare directly at Charles.  
“The present limit is fifty dollars.” Charles smirks.  
“Per person.”

“Dammit.”  
“I already bought-” Hank looks worriedly up from the notes he was taking on the party decorations that Angel was showing.  
“It’s fine Hank; I’m mainly making that for Charles; wait what on earth did you get him that’s more than fifty dollars? He’s a one year old.”  
“Nothing for a one year old…”  
“Hank…”  
“Raven and I split the cost.” Hank assures and Erik keeps his eyes narrowed when Charles laughs; no doubt having learned from Hank’s thoughts what Peter was going to be presented with.

“Magda’s here.” Charles nods and everyone turns to try to subtly look at Erik. The birthday party hadn’t really started but Peter was already a mess Angel having snuck him a tiny piece of cake; Charles had let it slide but had been too distracted by telling everyone who was invited that wasn’t in the mansion about his son to realize Jean, Scott and Logan had also given him a slice of cake.  
“Oh good she got the invitation I sent.” Erik grins as Raven sighs dramatically after everyone had been waiting with baited breath as Hank had gone to greet Magda. Angel had laughed at the overdramatics Raven had done, draping herself over the couch and exaggerating Charles as he laments his current boyfriend’s ex showing up uninvited. Erik just stares at Peter; who’s nice shirt that Charles had bought is now covered in cake. Azazel offers out a clean shirt in a puff of smoke and a grin; tail flicking back and forth now vindicated in his earlier comment about children not needing such fancy tiny breast pockets and buttons.

Magda greets everyone and laughs when Raven informs her Peter is currently getting changed as everyone else had given him cake when both his fathers were occupied.  
“Peter really is a sweetheart; despite his powers developing more.” Charles grins.  
“Aren’t you going to tell me? All Erik does is send me pictures of smudges.” Magda leans forward and Charles’ face lights up.  
“Magda no! he hasn’t shut up about Peter’s gift since he first crawled.” Angel moans and Charles looks sheepish.  
“He’s very fast; look.” Erik smiles when he walks back in Peter cleaned and dressed in more casual clothes; Erik’s keeping a tight hold on him and the bracelet with his powers as he helps Peter walk over tiny hands looped onto Erik’s fingers. Erik lets go and then there’s just a blur; before Peter appears at Magda and Charles’ chairs.  
“Very impressive; just like your fathers.” Peter grins and reaches his hands up laughing.

“Fast.” Everyone freezes; turning towards Peter.  
“Oh thank god none of you missed that; we’d never hear the end of it if one of you had missed his first word.” Hank looks relieved and Magda is just laughing as Peter giggles with her.  
“I don’t know what they would have done if your first word was mom.”  
“Fast!” Peter laughs again and Logan and Raven both slink off to the kitchen.  
“Wait did you two teach him that?” Charles regains his composure and Logan nods slowly.  
“Why would you teach him that!” Erik rounds on them and Raven just laughs; Logan sighs and offers out cake to everyone as he explains.  
“Well it was either that or the other ‘F’ word; and then father is too complicated anyways; well that’s what Hank said; plus having him shout fast might be a good warning sign of him trying to like run on water or something.” Erik looks horrified over to where Peter is once again covered in cake.  
“Walk on water?” He whispers and Hank nods at him.  
“Yeah once he can control it; there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to do that and more.”  
“More?” The terror on Erik's face is hard not to laugh at and Peter joins in until Erik's face and mind calm enough so he's laughing with his son.


	4. Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family trip to the zoo

“Is there a word for anti-cockblocking?” Erik asks and Charles chokes on his drink looking up to where Erik leans against the door.  
“Wingmaning?” Charles furrows his brow as Erik starts to recount how Hank and Logan had been questioning him about the last time he’d gone out without Peter.  
“Yes; thank you; they’re wingmaning us repeatedly.” Erik huffs and Charles laughs.  
“Well it’s good to have students and friends who want us to do well in our relationship.” Charles offers and Erik sighs.  
“Raven walked by me as four separate people last time I went to the store; and I was with her! I saw her shift!!” Charles laughs and then sighs.  
“Maybe they have a point? Charles; would you come to dinner with me next week?” Erik tries to bite back the laugh when he can hear Hank cheering and running to inform the rest of the school.

Logan had assured Erik and Charles they could have a date night without anything bad happening. Raven had stressed the part of a date outside of the mansion. It was Hank that calmed their growing anxieties at leaving Peter; who was well on his way to running, which meant an even faster blur to keep up with. Hank had shown them the paper schedule he’d made; which had variations from date nights to power emergencies and even had added a section on babysitting potential other kids.  
“Others?” Both Raven and Logan seem hesitant to ask and Charles is equally as curious.

“You’re really going to tell me that there’s never going to be another mutant with powers at birth? Maybe more visible than Peter’s we can help those kids; might as well have plans.” Hank grins when everyone nods and congratulates him on the forward thinking. _I was worried there was something you weren’t telling me._ Charles’ voice cuts into Hank’s thoughts and Hank tilts his head slightly; still not used to not physically responding to Charles’ voice in his mind when he’s not in public. _I would think Raven would know first, if that was the case._ Hank doesn’t mean to project images but Charles glares.  
“My sister.” He reprimands and Raven laughs, draping herself over the back of the chair where Hank sits chuckling along with her.  
“My mind Charles. Don’t pry if you don’t want to see worse.”

“Hank!” It’s Erik who chides him and Hank grins the entire time Erik scolds him about giving Charles bad images of his sister.  
“I’m sure he’ll get over it.”  
“Yes; but not while we’re staying out of the mansion…” Erik hisses and Raven shoves him back.  
“Erik that’s gross; I don’t even need to be a telepath to have those images in-ugh.” Raven shivers and curls back towards Hank; Erik grins victoriously and Peter joins in on the grinning from where Logan is tossing him into the air.  
“Seriously Chuck you worry too much; everything will be fine! He’s too excited by this new vertical running to care about cookies even.” Logan laughs when Hank opens his mouth Raven kissing him on the cheek before he can launch into the scientific explanation of why throwing Peter in the air is not ‘vertical running’

“We’re going to the zoo.”  
“The zoo? You want all of us to-”  
“No; Peter Erik and I. We’re going to the zoo; you all are going to fix up the guest rooms that are still a mess. Since we’ll be having more students soon.” Charles seems smug and before any of them can ask what they actually need to do beyond setting the rooms up Charles, Erik and Peter have all made it out to the car and up the driveway.

Erik feels only a tiny bit guilty about weaving a thin strand of metal into all of Peter’s clothes. It had taken him only a few hours; despite the amount of clothes Peter had received as a birthday present, and it was easy enough to get Hank to agree to give him a small amount of whatever spare metal scraps he had in his lab. Erik preferred using the scraps; it was easier than having to get Charles to order him specific metals and then trying to explain why he can tell the seller tried to con them out of the pure metals. 

He shakes the train of thought only feeling relief that the threads he’d woven provide a solid anchor to Peter so his son can’t actually run to try to match the cheetah which they’d seen running after a lure when they’d gone by. Charles having informed Erik that Peter’s thoughts had turned into a warm competitive burst. Erik grimaces looking forward to a long future of competitiveness and frustration and no one being able to be enough competition.

Charles loves the irony as much as Peter is in love with the sloths and that all his thoughts are dominated by them after seeing the area where they were hanging from trees. Erik hadn’t tried to coax him into enjoying any of the other animals; they’d simply spent almost an hour staring through the glass. This had given Charles the opportunity to scout the gift shop and without Erik to keep his spoiling in line buying one of everything with so much as a hint of a sloth on it. He’d hidden it in the car, and allowed Erik to pick out souvenirs for everyone else. Peter; unknowing about the gifts Charles had kept hidden, attaches himself to a floppy sloth plushie that Erik refuses to even take from his hands to scan it. Instead getting a second one for the cashier to scan in its place.

“Why has nothing gotten done; all that’s happened is we have a pool table?”  
“We got plenty done.” Logan nods from where he’s reading the paper.  
“So the rooms are all set up?”  
“We have at least a week. We saw the calendar in your study when we were looking for the room list.”  
“Okay fair enough but..” Charles trails off noticing the shimmering paper around everyones wrists.  
“Did you guys go to the zoo?”  
“You were staring at the sloths for two hours Chuck; two hours; we saw the whole zoo and got to see the lion feeding.”  
“I can’t believe you all would just shrug off your duties to this school!” Charles tries to look upset but Logan just dangles a set of keys with the keychain Erik had picked out for him; a metallic lion roaring.  
“You know that car is for emergencies.”  
“It was technically an emergency.” Hank speaks up, wringing his hands nervously.

“Oh?” Charles doesn’t pry into his mind; interested enough in what Hank’s going to try to pass off to actually hear him speak and not trying to verify it’s true until after.  
“We were cleaning out the main ballroom; since we thought it would be a good place to host classes.”  
“It’s a study actually.” Logan interjects and Charles smirks a little trying to keep a straight face.  
“Fine the study; and Raven mentioned how Peter doesn’t actually have a playroom; we just all sort of bring him back and forth to different rooms where ever we are; so we decided to make a playroom, and we had to go get paint; no offence the wallpaper in these rooms is murder, and we drove by the zoo.”  
“Angel had never seen a wolf! We had to go in.” Raven grins and Angel laughs a little Hank nods trying to look sincere and Charles nods leaning forward slightly. Everyone knows to lean in so Erik can’t hear.

“I may have bought one of everything with a sloth on it; Peter will be happy.. I’ll forget the zoo trip if you all get it into the playroom without Erik finding out.”  
“Easy.” Hank grins taking Peter from Charles and pulling his shirt and pants off so he’s just in his underwear.  
“Why did you do that?”

“Erik’s nervous about him running off; Logan I heard there were cookies in the kitchen right?” Peter perks up at the word cookies and starts to toddle off which quickly becomes a blur as he races to the kitchen.  
Erik rushes after him glaring at Hank who turns his head away.  
“He needed a bath; he heard Logan mention cookies and took off with that sloth.”  
“Sure; I’ll let Charles deal with you all.” Charles grins as the rest of the group make their way to the car.


	5. Dadneto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik and Peter bond

Erik misses Charles but he can’t help be a little relieved that he’s getting time with just him and Peter. Erik hadn’t asked the specifics all he knows is he’s in charge of the remaining members in the mansion and Peter. The mansion’s inhabitants are in various areas; a few have gone with Charles to talk and try to secure more funding and students. Logan and a few students remain; Erik doesn’t worry about them; focusing on Peter who is currently sleeping.

It had been a long day yesterday; after Peter had learned how to say Papa; which Erik was a little bit too smug about; Peter had also taught himself Raven and Logan; even if he said the second half of both of their names with more emphasis on the ‘in’ ending than the actual spelling.

“Now once we have breakfast how about I show you my powers.” Erik grins when Peter claps his hands and nods; something else he had learned recently; although he wasn’t fully aware of what the nodding meant he knew it was a good thing.

It’s not hard for Erik to move the metal; to turn it liquid and swirl it in shapes and bubbles; to turn the pile of scraps into multicoloured fish.  
“Since Charles thinks the aquarium would be too much.” Peter laughs rushing to catch the shimmering fish but not actually using his powers; Erik knows he can’t move the metal that fast without injuring him.  
Peter’s scream chills him.

“Oh; it’s just your knee.” Erik can see the shards of metal he’d formed for defense sinking back into the bubbles and fish.  
“Oh no; don’t worry sweetheart; don’t worry.” Erik gathers Peter into his arms while Peter sobs; his knee red and a slight bubble of blood appearing.  
“Hmm; we might have to see Hank; this is pretty serious; might have to get it cut off!” Erik laughs and Peter pauses his crying to giggle; attention switching from the scrape to laughing at the fish that swim around him. Erik calls one closer and he settles over Peter’s knee and Erik heats it gently; the warmth seems to calm Peter further and he grins to Erik.

“FISH! Fast!!! FAST!” He nods to the other fish and Erik sighs, realizing just what trouble he’s caused himself.  
“How about something better than the fish?”  
He can see Peter considering it and he grins taking the lack of shouts for fish as a good enough.  
“Okay; close your eyes.” Peter doesn’t so Erik puts his hand over his face grinning when he moves it.  
“Ta-Da!” He hovers the copper sloth towards Peter who lets out a screech that Erik swears everyone in the mansion can hear.

He makes the sloth move and it slowly clambers up Peter’s arm. They sit on the porch for a while; just Erik playing with him, creating an entire zoo from the various metals around him. He wonders if any of the brotherhood would think this a downgrade of his power; but he sees Peter grinning at him and decides it doesn’t really matter what they’d think of him now anyways. His son is too important. Peter of course isn’t aware of any of this, simply delighting in the copper menagerie, although Erik can’t help but be reminded of the way his son covets the sloth; as his mother had coveted the small flower ring he’d created of her. It never strays from his grasp and Erik casually lets it small clawed arms wrap around his son’s fingers; he resists the urge to warp it into a flower as he;d done before.

Peter wakes from his nap seemingly having forgotten the earlier tumble he’d taken and the band-aid he had on his knee.  
“I feel as if this will be the first of many.” Erik grins poking the side of his knee and Peter claps his hands nodding.  
“While we think about the number of band-aid’s we’ll be going through in the future how about some lunch.” Erik makes himself and sandwich and makes a simpler one for Peter. Of course it seems to be an absolute error in judgement; when, upon seeing his dad’s sandwich Peter makes a mad dash from where he’d been sitting at the tv to Erik’s legs; knocking him back into the stove. Erik’s grateful all the appliances are metal as he softens the blow for himself on instinct but he looks nervously to Peter and the slight dent in the stove.

“That’s a problem for daddy don’t you think? I mean I could fix it easily; but let’s see what’s on TV.” Erik grins picking up Peter and using part of the stove that had snapped off to levitate the plates behind him. Peter grins at this and Erik keeps them hovered instead of using the table; he can already hear the scolding he’ll be getting; from the stove to letting Peter get hurt.

His chest burns at that thought; having let his son get injured. He knows it’s only a scraped knee but he feels responsible; having not been paying attention when Peter went to lunge at the fish; not realizing moving it; that using his powers could hurt his son. He feels queasy at the thought; the idea that if something were to take him from his son; to control him as he’s sure a mutant out there can do; that he could stand by and do nothing while his son was hurt; or far worse be the one to hurt him. 

Peter seems to sense his distress; or maybe it’s the way the metal waivers his sandwich; but he folds himself into Erik’s lap and holds the sloth up to him.  
“Papa; fast.” He yawns slightly and Erik nods back.  
“Yeah we should probably have another nap.”  
This is how Charles finds them; wrapped in a blanket on the couch; Peter resting on Erik’s chest; a small metal sloth figure between them.


	6. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's first time getting sick

Charles wakes up to silence and he immediately worries. He finds Erik in the kitchen making toast looking tired and shaking slightly.  
“Erik are you alright?”  
“Yeah, Peter’s sick though and I didn’t want to wake you and-“  
“It’s okay, is he in his room?”  
“Yeah, I figured it would be better to just let him sleep; He threw up earlier but he just seems to have a fever and a stuffy nose for now.  
“A fever; has Hank been up to check.”  
“Charles; it’s just a cold; you should get some sleep. It’s six in the morning.”  
“What about you?”  
“I’m Magneto; Magneto doesn’t get sick.” Erik grins and Charles arches his eyebrow.  
“You’re not Magneto to him; just his dad; and he’ll understand that you need rest; now, go sleep, please.” Charles waves him off taking the toast into Peter’s room. 

Peter’s curled up in the middle of the bed asleep so Charles takes a moment to look around his room. He can see the desk, taken from the lab squeezed against a corner, the old clock resting against it, Hank’s idea of a joke, trying to get Peter to run back through time. Piles of paper notes are scattered around it and some are caught on the bookshelves that’s stuffed full with books he’s given him. He’s looking at the massive window, a small seat on it that has a blanket folded with pillows. The TV sunk into the wall is playing a Disney movie almost too quiet to hear. Charles moves towards the bed trying carefully not to wake Peter. He appears to be asleep so Charles settles onto the bed not risking pulling him close for fear of disturbing his sleep. 

Sitting on the bed has him looking at the dresser and the wall above it. The dresser is plain wood, but the wall above has colourful splotches on it. Sighing he debates moving closer; instead waiting for his eyes to fully adjust to the dimming light, moving forward he realizes they’re pictures. Ranging from drawings Peter has done to some of the pictures Hank and Raven had taken of them. He smiles at each of them but pauses at the photo directly in the middle. It’s one Erik took recently. Peter and him are in the lab, he’s laughing at him as he managed to burst the lightbulb he was working on, the light had lit up his face with a rainbow of colours that Erik had captured perfectly. He turns when he hears Peter stir.

“Hey baby, you feeling okay?”  
“Head hurts, nose is wet..” Charles nods handing him a tissue smiling softly.  
“Papa made some toast for you, are you hungry?”  
“No thank you..”  
“Alright, well how about this we have some juice here.”  
“Juice?”  
“Yeah, apple juice, do you want some?”  
“Yes! Uhh, yes please Daddy!!” Peter grins sitting up slightly.  
“Alrighty, but first you have to drink this, I know it’s super yucky, but it’ll-“  
“No!” Peter squirms away from Charles and the tiny cup of medicine he has. He sighs.  
“What if I have some first?”  
“But it’s poison!!”  
“No it’s not, who told you that?”  
“Hank said ‘modern medicine marketed to civilians is poison” and he never lies!”  
“Sweetie, that’s not what they- Well, I’m a professor right?”

“Uh-huh, the bestest professor!”  
“Yes, and since I’m a Professor, I’m not a civilian am I?” Charles hopes that the realization he is in fact a civilian will go right over Peter’s head.  
“No you’re not, but the medicine is still yucky!” Charles sighs in relief.  
“I know, how about I have some first, then you have some?”  
“Okay, is it grape flavor?”  
“No it’s cherry.”  
“Cherry is gross! I want grape flavor!!!!!”  
“Peter sweetie we don’t have grape flavor..” Charles calls for Erik in his mind.  
“No medicine for me then! You can have it all!” He nods to himself and it breaks off into a coughing fit. Charles rubs his back and he eyes him warily till he places the medicine onto the table. Peter reaches out for him and he pulls him into his lap. He curls into him and Charles covers them in the blanket that was at the edge of the bed from Peter kicking it in his sleep.  
“Can you sing?”

“Peter, you know I’m not good at singing, remember when I tried to sing Happy Birthday?” Peter nods sleepily.  
“How about I get Papa to sing something?” Charles grins when Erik appears in the doorway and he knows Erik was just waiting for the medicine to have been taken but he’s aware that that ship has sailed for the moment.  
“He wants someone to sing to him and I figured since the ‘birthday incident’ it would be better for me to call you in.”  
“Alright then Peter; now you have the very tough decision to decide what I’m going to sing..”  
“Sunshine songgg.” Peter reaches out as Erik sits on the other side of Charles and him.  
“Well that didn’t take very long. Alright, let me just get comfy and, okay, guess we’re swapping Papa’s then.” Peter drags himself from under the blanket to half roll, half climb into Erik’s lap. Erik uses this moment to pull Charles closer. Charles slips the medicine towards Erik who snickers and pokes Peter’s nose.  
“You gotta take this then I’ll sing okay?”

“But Hank said-“  
“He also said that plants swear at whatever eats them, remember how we don’t take everything he says as truth?”  
“Uh-huh..” Peter pouts but grips the cup before swallowing it. He grimaces and sticks his tongue out whimpering.  
“It tastes gross.”  
“I know baby, but it’ll help with your fever, now, I’ll sing okay.”  
“Yayy! Papa’s the best singer ever!!” Charles smiles nodding in agreement, slightly in awe of how Peter still manages to be excited when just moments ago he was almost asleep.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten the pleasure of hearing him sing yet.” Peter stares at him almost offendedly.  
“But Papa’s the best!” Peter almost glares, but still coughs and huffs when Erik has yet to start singing.  
“Very demanding.”  
“He’s sick; he’s allowed to demand things; besides he did take the cold medicine; why did you get cherry; it’s the worst flavour.”  
“He really is your son.” Charles laughs softly and Erik chuckles, before clearing his throat to start singing.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine  
You make me happy when skies are gray  
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you

Charles watches as Peter blinks up smiling at Erik, he can see his eyes getting heavier and he takes a moment to listen to Erik’s voice. It’s quiet for the first few lines but as he ends the first verse his voice deepens and seems to warm. Charles isn’t sure why he’d never heard Erik sing before but he’s grateful to Peter for being so demanding about it.

Please don’t take my sunshine away  
In my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me  
When I awake my poor heart pains  
So when you come back, and make me happy 

Charles Doesn’t think about the reality of people outside their bubble hating mutants; despite being able to be out in public he knows some of the more visibly mutated would never be accepted. He hates how relieved he is that the only visibly tell that Peter is a mutant is his silver hair.

I’ll forgive you dear, I’ll take the blame  
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine  
You make me happy when skies are gray

Charles sighs letting him get lost in the warm thoughts both Erik and Peter are projecting back and forth; he knows they can’t really sense it; not like he can but he enjoys the comfort they’re finding in each other. Erik goes quiet for a moment. Charles nods encouragingly and places a hand over his shoulder, pushing the affection both he and Peter feel onto Erik. He smiles back and continues singing even though Peter is asleep, his hand curled around Charles’ and a soft smile on his face.

You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you  
Please don’t take my sunshine away 

Erik’s voice catches as he finishes and Charles says nothing as he pulls him and Peter into his chest. He rubs his back soothingly, not bringing up how he can feel the fear and terror at having missed being in Peter’s life. When he pulls away Charles can tell he’s embarrassed and almost nervous about him being caught crying. Charles points to the tissues on the nightstand; offering them out.  
“Looks like you’re getting sick too. But thanks for getting him to sleep, and to take the medicine, I was about to take some myself, you saved me from that torture.”  
“Is it really that bad?” Erik wipes at his eyes and grins.

“I hate cherry.” Charles confirms and then smiles at him and dials the volume up on Lady and the Tramp higher.  
“Have you ever seen this one?” Charles laughs a little and Erik fondly rolls his eyes.  
“Only five hundred times..” Charles grins; Raven having shown Peter a handful of Disney movies and for some reason he’d latched onto Lady and the Tramp as the best movie ever.  
“Do you think if we sit through it the ending will change?”  
“Lets see.” Charles put an arm around Erik as they both cuddle into each other to finish the movie.

Peter wakes up almost a full two hours later and he seems a bit better; he sits up straight away and glares at the cold medicine in the bottle on the table. Charles laughs at that, and carefully probes his mind for any serious issues; but beyond the confusion at waking up with both his dad’s next to him there seems no danger of him vomiting or even feeling slightly ill in that way. Of course this doesn’t stop him from sneezing directly onto Charles’s hand when he moves it to show Peter he’s also awake.  
Erik laughs under his breath but Charles still pick up on the rush of affection and a faint relief it’s not him from Erik’s mind.


	7. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is learning new words

“Are you busy?” Peter looks nervous and Charles resists the urge to scan his mind.  
“Nothing that can’t wait; what’s going on.” Charles folds the cover over the paper’s he was working on grading.  
“Can I use the dictionary?” Charles is confused by Peter’s request, wondering why his son needs the dictionary in the first place but also why he feels the need to ask.  
“You don’t need to ask that Peter; you can.” Charles nudges into his mind to hopefully figure out if he’s going to be looking up swear words or other inappropriate things; instead he gets a mental image that he didn’t realize had meant so much to Peter.

It’s maybe a year and a half ago; Peter had come in incredibly upset with Hank trailing behind looking partially ashamed but also like he was trying to hide laughter. Charles had waited; Hank swallowing and explaining that Peter had asked for help with the assignment that Charles had given him; and apparently Hank was using words that were ‘scientifically improbable and absurd’ as Peter snapped which Charles surmised; ironically were too large for him. Raven had already scolded Hank and said that most of his vocabulary was too advanced for a five year old. Hank had seemed confused; as most of the words he’d been using had been things he’d easily understood; which prompted Peter to assume Hank was calling him dumb which is why Peter was sulking and Hank was nervously trying to hide his laughter. Charles understood why; there was very little he could explain to Peter without him getting upset one way or another. Trying to explain to a five year old why their vocabulary was limited was not a conversation Charles wanted to have, let alone explaining that Hank, despite his mutation being that he was covered in soft blue fur, had an above genius level intellect in ways that Peter just couldn’t have yet.

Erik is the one to suggest the idea; to make it more of a game; less of an assignment. Which is how Charles finds himself and Peter sitting in the study for the first time. Charles had called him in after dinner, time usually reserved for either both his dad’s or various other members of the mansion to have group time together. Charles is reading to him from the dictionary; carefully pronouncing the words and letting Peter repeat them. And then giving the definition of the word, before repeating the pronunciation over and over until Peter gets it right. Charles feels a little ashamed that he gets this time with Peter; he knows after dinner is meant for any form of group activity but he reasons that with Peter explaining all of the words to Erik before bed that it counts as group time. He knows that as the creator of the group time rule he technically doesn’t need to justify it but still he has the excuse ready should anyone else feel that he’s being neglected.

It had been something Charles didn’t think he would enjoy as much as he did; but nonetheless once they had read through a grouping of handpicked words that Charles thought Peter needed they had stopped. Charles had been trying to teach him increasingly difficult words and would then share the pronunciation disasters with Erik later that night, but they had stopped it for some reason Charles can’t remember; maybe they had gotten busy with something else. Charles knows that Erik had picked up the game; using the many languages he knew in his travels to teach Peter basic phrases and words he could use to get around.  
Still when Charles pulls back he’s a little surprised to see Peter almost shy about restarting the game they had.

“We can always continue that.”  
“We stopped because of the school.” Charles feels a flash of guilt; that he’d let others education surpass his son’s but then he remembers the week before they had stopped; one of the other kids had snapped at Peter growling they didn’t understand the word he just said and it wasn’t fair that his dad was the teacher; and he was smarter than everyone else. Peter had felt smug about that; but it had caused Charles to realise he had been neglecting some of his students. Peter had been amicable to the idea of stopping and Charles hadn’t probed further; no need if everything seemed fine on the surface.

The next night while everyone is enjoying ice cream Charles calls Peter into the study and nods towards the chairs they had used; the massive hand marbled cover of the dictionary laying open.  
“Now; which letter do we start at?” Peter beams as he flips open a random page leafing through until he settles on the letter ‘T’ Charles is happy to comply and together they start to pull out a group of words to write down and then repeat the pronunciations and definitions.

”And then!” Charles pauses interested in hearing what Peter’s explaining to Erik and Raven.  
“Well dad tells it better.” Peter beams and Hank turns smirking.  
“I tell what better?”  
“The story about the speech you were supposed to give in support of dad’s thesis!”  
“Charles nooooooo.” Hank whines huffing and trying to pull some semblance of puppy dog eyes. Despite being in his current blue form, which he’d decided to take on when he wasn’t out in public; it doesn’t work.  
“Well considering that we as mutants fall into the tachytelic category I thought that you were trying to get a masters in biology…”  
“I thought you already had a masters in biology?” Raven furrows her brow and Hank nods.  
“It was a doctorate and it was in pathogenic histology. So the fact of mutants being tachytelic doesn’t matter since we’re not a disease!” Hank huffs and Peter grins.

“What Peter… Erik wanted to see me puff up didn’t he?” Hank frowns smoothing his fur down from where it had puffed up. Raven laughs running her hand down his arm to help him smooth his fur out.  
“Well it was actually to get to see Peter use some of the words you and him have been learning; since he never gets the chance to try them out.”  
“What should we do then? Enter him into a spelling bee?”  
“Spelling Bee?” Peter glances from Erik to Raven. Raven’s grinning.  
“It’s where a bunch of adults test your ability to spell a bunch of random words.”  
“Oh so like what dad and I do.”  
“Well yes; but with other kids.”  
“Could it be with the rest of the school?”  
“Yes.” Hank answers before Charles or Erik can say anything.  
“Can we have one here?”  
“Only if I get to compete!” Raven laughs when Hank and Peter high five. Erik sinks a little against the wall and Peter quirks an eyebrow.

“Papa what’s wrong?” Peter looks worried when Erik sighs as Hank and Charles start talking about planning; he can see Raven hovering by them but knows by the way she looks back she’s also worried.  
“I was hoping to avoid competition for another few years.”  
“Competition?”  
“Well of course; if either of us win the other gets bragging rights over Hank for at least a year.” Peter laughs grinning and starts to drag Erik towards the study for them to start work.  
“We do?” Erik pales a little at the obstinate look that comes across Peter’s face.  
“Yes; we have to win.” Peter grins and Erik swallows following his son but laughing when he realizes why Peter had looked so stubborn a moment ago; Hank is watching them leave; fur puffed up so it obscures the sleeves of his shirt and the cuffs of his pants. Erik reminds himself and alerts Charles to what has happened; Charles who hadn’t been looking at Hank but writing something down has to bite a laugh back.

“You deserve that; awakening the competitive devil that’s going to over take our son.”  
“Competitive devil? Really; as if Peter could be anything but polite..”  
“Are you forgetting his parent’s are a telepath who can cheat and Magneto.”  
“You don’t cheat..”  
“I don’t have to, the thought is enough to throw you off.” Charles grins and Hank rolls his eyes finishing his move on the chessboard.


	8. Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's first beach trip

Peter’s been fidgeting all morning and Charles refuses to look into his mind to see what’s wrong; preferring his son to come talk to him. 

Erik seems to know what’s happening so like usual Charles doesn’t bother questioning Peter; of course he does question the way Hank has been quiet and not holed up in lab, his constant glances to Raven aren’t helping Charles suspicions, although all he’s greeted with when he pries into Hank’s mind is the faint thought of his sister that he doesn’t bother pressing further into.

“The beach?” Charles looks confused when Raven ambushes him. Hank’s hovering behind her nodding as she makes her points. He’s a little surprised they waited till after lunch, there’s no way they’d all be able to make it to the beach before sunset.

“We haven’t been to the beach as a family in ages.” Raven nods to him and Hank grins.

“Yeah the- OH. oh my god; I never-” He starts, backing her up.

“I don’t really care; unless we’re going back to; the specific beach..” Charles trails off looking a little uncomfortable. Erik shakes his head, mimicking Charles discomfort. Hank hesitates in the doorway with a bag full of towels.

“So beach or?”

“Peter can’t swim!” Erik suddenly looks frantic and Charles doesn’t bother hiding his laughter.

“That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“Well yes! Do you know how many-”

“We’re taking him to the beach; to teach him how to swim; if he even wants to get in the water; he might just want to spend the entire day making sandcastles; or looking at shells.”

“Hank no.” Charles cuts off whatever thought he’d had and Erik tilts his head curiously.

“He wants to test if Peter could run and move a boat.”

“Hank, he’s five; he’s nowhere big enough to move a boat! I couldn’t even lift a submarine out of the water fully like six years ago; I don’t think-”

“A boat and submarine aren’t the same thing; and I don’t want him to lift it; just pretend to be the propellor.” 

“No; at least not until we know he knows how to swim.” Erik placates grinning as Hank looks miserable.

“I still don’t understand why the beach is a good idea.” Logan huffs a little; Peter’s grinning riding on Erik’s shoulders.

“Because we all need to take a vacation and Peter needs to learn to swim. Raven, stop confusing the beach goers.” Raven laughs, changing from Logan in a speedo back into her blue form.

“Hank; you really shouldn’t bother with the serum; it’s the beach; there’s hundreds of ancient men in speedos; besides Logan of course. No one is going to look twice at you being fluffy.” Hank looks confused, pointing out how there isn’t anyone else on the beach.

“No one is going to look twice anyways; there’s no one else here.”

“Charles, stop using your gift to send everyone away.”

“I didn’t.” Charles grins and Erik narrows his eyes, Peter mimicking his facial expression.

“I didn’t use my powers this time. Just my money.”

“Please tell me you did not buy a section of the beach.” Erik rubs at the bridge of his nose and he can tell by the wobbling Peter is doing the same.

“I didn’t.”

“Then what did you do?” Hank turns in circles, before spotting a sign staked in the ground.

“I mean this says private beach; are we just going to- Christ Azazel, warn a guy next time.” Hank jumps back when Azazel appears with Angel, Janos and a swathe of folding chairs. Charles grins assuming he’s gotten off free.

“What did you do?”

“I bought the beach, and made a section of it private.” Charles shrugs a little. Erik just shakes his head.

“Why do I even bother.” He places Peter down and Peter looks back to Charles and Erik who both nod.

“No one will see besides everyone who already knows about your gift.” Erik doesn’t finish saying it to him, before Peter’s blurring back and forth, mostly just kicked up sand settling down as the indication of his movements.

”Peter come here!” Erik shouts, letting the waves cover his feet.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to learn how to swim?” Peter nods holding his arms out.

“Well we have to get deeper for me to carry you, okay?” 

“Okay.”

They’re not in horribly deep, just up to Erik’s waist when Charles joins them. Erik’s watching Charles, a little unsure of how he’s handling having been regulated to a pool float instead of his chair; he seems to be enjoying it and Peter takes the opportunity to reach out to him.

“How about we practice swimming now? We’re deep enough for you to be able to swim, but since we don’t have too, we can keep you safe.”

“Can’t you just make me swim?” Peter asks, eyeing the water Erik is about to place him into.

“Well I could tell you how to, but you wouldn’t remember it.” Charles answers and Erik knows it’s a lie, but Peter doesn’t, not yet; he’s unaware of how powerful either of his fathers are.

“Okay how about this, I’ll hold you and you can practice swimming, and I’ll walk with you over to dad, sound good?” Peter nods at Eriks explanation and waits for Erik to put him down. Before he does Peter can feel his dad knocking on his mind, asking for entrance, Peter agrees and he can see images of the form and motions he’ll need to do to swim.

“You got it?”

“Yeah I just have to-” Peter flails his arms and Erik nods, slowly putting him into the water feet first.

“Before swimming, let’s teach you how to tread water. It’s so that way you can float.” Erik explains the basics and Peter grins as he mimics them.

“Good, okay so now we’re going to try to swim.” Peter, as expected, swallows only a slight amount of water, before managing to swim with Erik holding him. Peter, once he’s made it to Charles, demands his father hold him as they swim back to Erik.

“Peter I can’t swim..”

“You can tread water, Hank said you did it in your hydrotherapy; and Papa’s right there; like he’d let anything worse than seaweed touch you.” Peter argues and Erik watches Charles fold, hands wrapping around Peter nervously as he tries to gracefully slide off the pool float.

Charles tries to avoid gripping too tightly but he can sort of feel his legs hitting the sand; he’s surprised at how he can feel it shifting between his toes and makes a face that Peter laughs at.

“Seaweed gotcha didn’t it dad.” Charles nods and hopes he doesn’t end up just swimming in a circle as Peter moves his arms forward.

Erik’s next to them, guiding them back to where he was standing.

“Papa! Why did you do that! Dad was supposed to help me swim!”

“And he will, back to the float.” Erik nods and Charles sends a mental thank you at Erik’s hand around his waist.

Peter seems placated with this and once they make it to the float he seems to have had enough of swimming lessons instead staring excitedly at the surfboard Azazel is using.

“I swear if Janos is making waves….” Charles sighs and Azazel grins nodding to where Janos is swirling sand into a sculpture of some kind.

”I wanna see what Hank is doing!” Erik and Charles grimace, a statement that can never end well in general but especially not with the boat idea fresh in their minds.

“Okay, just no boats.”

“Why would Uncle Hank have a boat?”

“A model boat.” Erik grins as Hank holds up the remote controlled boat in his hands.

“Betcha can’t outrun it.” He grins and Erik stops smiling.

“Hank’s your friend; you discipline him.” Erik hisses to Charles as Peter splashes forward.

“He’s a friend, what do I do? Ground him?”

“Yes! Tell him he can’t do lab work!”

“He would whine so much; do you really want him and Peter sulking.”

“Why would Peter be sulking?”

“If he can’t go for his usual speed runs in the lab, where do you think he’ll go?”

“Outside? Like a normal kid? We could bring him here; let him run off the lack of lab.”

Peter’s grinning and Hank looks caught between yelling and cheering with him.

“I can’t believe you can actually run on water; this is incredible! We can-” Hank’s cut off as Peter once again rushes out, running on top of a wave and causing the wake to drench Hank again.

“I hate the beach.” He huffs flopping back onto the towel.

“It was your idea bluebeard; shouldn’t you be reapplying sunscreen?” Logan nods to Hanks’ reddening arms as they dry.

“Just because I look like this.” Hank gestures to himself and Logan prods at the skin on his arm.

“Doesn’t mean that’s how I am.”

“But the serum is meant to cover the physical mutation..”

“Yes; like make-up or a bandaid; but it’s still me underneath; still blue fuzz.”

“And? You’ll still get sunburned.” Logan looks unconcerned.

“Think of it this way, fur takes longer too dry.”

“So?” Logan doesn’t look up from the book he’d brought.

“Ocean water; wet, furry creature…. You must know what wet dog smells like.”

“You’re not sitting next to me on the way back.” Logan hisses and Hank laughs.


	9. Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going out to the playground and some older kid bullying baby peter ft. cherik being overprotective parents

They’d brought Peter to the park for the first time. He’s only four. He knows not to use his gifts around other kids. They’re not sure what would happen if he ran with someone else besides Logan.

Erik assures himself he’s not being overprotective; that he just doesn’t want Peter getting hurt or picked on. Of course, with most of the kids five or older; he’s worried nonetheless, they’re bigger and taller than him anyways.

Charles didn’t seem concerned and was happy to answer any of the kids questions about his chair or why Peter’s hair was silver.

“Oh; it’s cause you’re a mutant!” Erik manages to keep himself from rushing over. Peter nods; his Papa had given him no instructions to not say he was a mutant, just that he couldn’t talk about his gift.

“Must be pretty dumb if all you got is silver hair! You’re not even a cool one; can you even do anything?” Peter looks a little nervous at the kids suddenly crowding him but one of the boys shove a couple of the kids backwards; Erik starts to relax but the anxiety returns when they all move farther from the bench he and Charles are sitting at.

Peter seems grateful to the boy who’d shoved everyone away but before Erik can actually relax the boy pulls Peter over to the slide and as far as Erik cares to see shoves his son down it.

“Erik; they’re playing, boys get rough with each other.”

“They barely know each other; he’s being too mean; Peter’s going to get upset.”

“Well he knows to come to us if he does get upset.”

“Yeah; and we did tell him he can use his powers if he’s upset and needs to get away.” Erik nods calming down and Charles grins.

“Besides; you’ve seen how much Peter loves roughhousing with everyone else in the house.”

“Charles I don’t think Peter learning self defense is considered rough housing.”

Erik relaxes watching Peter running around with the other kids at only a slightly faster speed. Charles grins and Erik doesn’t say anything about Charles having been right to get Hank to work with Peter on his control.

Peter’s grinning and laughing, and despite not having used his powers at all so far, he already looks a little sleepy. Charles asks in his mind if he wants to sleep and Peter shakes his head and returns to the slide he’d been playing on.

Peter relents and returns to them for lunch; Charles offers him his favourite metal sloth and Peter looks at it nervously before returning to his new friends.

Erik’s reading, but Charles knows he’s paying attention no matter what he’s doing; Peter always takes priority. He’d been hearing shouts and laughter but Erik hadn’t seemed worried and Charles could sense no discomfort from Peter when he swept over his mind. Charles is relieved because Erik sees it first, one of the kids is behind Peter on the slide. He can see the kid shoving Peter’s back, but another kid jerks Peter’s arm and he’s about to fall off of the side of the slide, but then the metal of the slide and jungle gym warp and carefully set Peter on the ground. However Peter is still crying, howling sad sounds that cause both Erik and Charles make it over to him in seconds. Erik rebends the metal of the playground back to its original form. He doesn’t care that some of the parents pull their children away.

“Peter, sweetie what happened?” His clothes are covered in mud and wood chips, not just from running around, he must have been shoved into the ground right before the slide incident.

“They said my sloth was dumb cause it was slow just like me; and I wasn’t gonna show ‘em my powers i swear! I was just gonna say about them!” Peter’s sobbing, and Charles prods into his mind relieved to find no lie from his son, less relieved to see the other kids finding the sloth and bashing it with rocks until the limbs have bent and snapped off.

“I don’t care if they’re more powerful mutants than you Charles, I’m going over! Look at Peter! Not only are his clothes dirty; they broke his sloth!”

“You’ve already fixed it.” Charles amends and Erik narrows his eyes at the parents who seem oblivious to their children’s earlier actions.

“That’s not the point.”

“They’re just kids, I don’t think they meant to cause serious harm.”

“Yes; they’re kids; and maybe not serious harm, but they wanted to upset him; and the kids are raised by parents; whom we can talk to about our son’s being bullied.” Erik hisses and Charles sighs.

“I thought this was supposed to be a relaxing park trip…”

“It was until all these parents thought their bullying children would get away with anything.”

“Okay, at least let me handle it?”

“Charles, no, don’t put on the wheelchair act; I know you hate it.”

“But it will help Peter.” Erik sighs but nods, relenting and letting Charles call Peter over to him. They depart from Erik ending up in front of one of the parents who had pulled their son away from the playground when Erik had warped it to save Peter. Erik makes sure to keep his gaze neutral and level; which as Logan states is his murder face. He’s not sure how his neutral face makes people think murder but it certainly helps when the parents look up, Charles having gestured to Eirk in a ‘there is my husband ma’am’ way, the woman in question jumps back a little and refuses to look back up at him, instead looking at Charles, her face growing more and more embarrassed by the second.

”You’re right; the park is relaxing.” Charles frowns at Erik who’s grinning, warping the metal from spare coins into small dancing animals for Peter.

“I’m glad you think it is; now can you please return the rest of the playground to how it was.” Charles hisses and Erik laughs nodding, the spires and metal shielding of the castle he had constructed are returning to the slide and jungle gym shapes they were before. Peter seems a little disappointed but Charles’ soothes it by assuring him they’ll go get ice cream.

“Butter Pecan.” Erik nods to Charles who frowns.

“Sometimes I think you’re a telepath too.”

“No, Peter just mumbled bubblegum; it’s the only flavour he chooses when we go out.” Erik grins, pushing Charles’ chair slightly.

“And my chair Erik.” He’s fighting off a smile as the throne Erik had constructed for him fades back to his regular chair. Peter pouts as well, but it’s mostly obscured by the ice cream he’s busy half eating half dripping onto Charles.


	10. Spoiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter being spoiled and Charles/Erik realizing the part they play

“Dad can I -”

“No.” Erik doesn’t look up from the paper and he can feel Peter’s glare shift to Charles.

“Your dad didn’t inform me; I just assumed you were going to ask about the pancakes that Hank made.”

“I made them; there’s more in the-” Logan doesn’t finish, Peter grinning and rushing into the kitchen.

“You spoil him.” Charles laughs a little while Logan looks unimpressed.

“I spoil him? I spoil your son? The speedster that gets anything he wants if he looks at either of you?” Logan laughs as he retreats back to the kitchen; the rest of the mansion having awoken by the smell of pancakes and Charles mind prodding their’s.

“We don’t spoil him do we?” Erik suddenly looks concerned to where Peter is engaged in a chess battle with Raven.

“Well you do..” Charles starts and Erik frowns.

“Erik; you give in very easily…”

“No; I’m much stricter than you.” Charles raises his eyebrow but doesn’t say anything; just projecting the memories and moments that Erik knows he was soft. Moments of Peter begging for sloth related toys; or a new pair of running shoes that claim to make the wearer go twice as fast. He shrugs a little avoiding saying anything and Charles just smirks knowing he’s won for now.

”You know…” Erik starts after dinner when they’ve retired to the study.

“Being spoiled a little is not a bad thing.”

“Oh I agree; but how you; treat him..” Erik narrows his eyes.

“You think he’s becoming a brat?”

“A little…” Erik laughs at Charles’ nervous tint to his response.

“He is a bit of a brat; you know the other day he talked Hank out of spending his usual lunch time with Raven because he wanted to drop pennies from the roof.”

“You let Hank take him on the roof??”

“Warren was there. It was fine.” Erik breezes through what is a very serious and stern lecture from Charles the next day, instead returning to the current problem that Charles and Erik were trying to avoid discussing with Peter.

“Peter is a little bratty.”

“Have you seen that boy’s puppy dog eyes.” Charles rolls his and Erik nods.

“I have, he uses them on me all the time; but I only give in some, most, I only give in most of the time.”

“He’s polite.”

“Well to you; but what if it happens to someone else; to another mutant; or a human even. Or he’s rude to one of his friends parents; or to them; or-”

“Charles you’re overthinking it. It’ll be fine; we can just talk to him about it; remind him of manners and explain our faults in this.”

”Wait so you’re telling me this is your fault? That you were wrong!?” Peter looks shocked and Charles nods.

“Well yes but-” Charles doesn’t finish, Peter having disappeared only to reappear with Hank who looks only half awake in his pyjama bottoms.

“HANK! Dad just said he was wrong!!!! Like there are witnesses and everything!!”

“I’m awake now; and yeah I heard; he gave me the whole speech last night; hence why I don’t mind being woken up like this. But…” Hank prompts and Peter finishes his warning.

“If I ever wake you up like that again I’m gonna get a claw in my eyeball, and assuming you’re not having a sleepover that’s all I’ll get.”

“Sleepover?” Charles looks like he wants to say something but Erik steers them back on topic.

“Our son, being a wee bit bratty, as you would say.”

“Right, well it’s your fault Erik, he flashes those puppy dog eyes at you and then you’re like a puddle handing him anything he wants.”

“I am very strict!” Charles looks unimpressed and Peter laughs a little but stays quiet. Hank stays silent, settling at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

They agree to go out grocery shopping. Charles seems to want to prove his point letting Peter pick out the meals for the week. He’s already learning proper nutrition; Hank had refused to eat spaghetti for more than three nights in a row. In addition to how picky everyone has become Charles is beginning to think that Erik, who is the main chef, is spoiling all of them as well. While he’s happy to buy everyone whatever they want he’s a little surprised to find Peter using his gift automatically to pick up what he claims is ‘the regular stuff.’ So Charles decides to wander; strategically he maneuvers himself into the junk food aisle, near enough to Peter’s favourite treats that he and Erik will happen upon him right when he gets to it. Peter as Charles predicts is staring behind him at the rows of various snacks.

“What are you looking at?” Erik hums and Charles can see him mentally tallying the prices in the basket. No matter how many times he’d told him not to worry about it.

“There are limited edition Twinkies….” 

“Oh, huh, well so there are.” Erik grins picking up a box and turning it. Charles knows that Peter knows it’s a test, as does Erik but he’s still interested to see what they both do.

“Do you want them? You didn’t pick up the usual ice cream you like; we could do an exchange, these for the week’s ice cream.”

“Would I get a whole Twinkie a night! Like when I get a whole bowl of ice cream?” Erik nods and Peter is about to grab for them but then hesitates.

“No, thank you.”

“You sure?” Erik watches and Peter glances back to Charles before nodding.

”Peter.” Charles calls him in the study and Peter shifts on his feet nervously.

“Yes?”

“You wanted those Twinkies, why didn’t you get them?”

“You and Papa said I was being a brat; and when I asked Logan and Hank, and Raven…” He puts emphasis on Raven like having a third opinion makes whatever he’s about to say the truth.

“And they all said that being a brat would make life harder for you all, but that I wasn’t being one.. But you and papa said I was.” Charles tries his best not to rifle through Peter’s mind; he’s always tried to stay away from his son and husband’s minds prefer to actually ask them how they’re feeling, but knowing Peter is feeling this way and he’s hiding it from him; well he can’t help it if his intrusion into Erik’s mind is a little more forceful than necessary.

Charles knows Erik and Peter are busy in the kitchen. Erik had taken it upon himself to teach Peter to bake, something he himself wasn’t good at. Logan was the best baker; Hank coming in at second when he wasn’t trying to make insane creations, so Charles knows they’ll both be busy for hours, longer when he mentions to Hank they’re trying to recreate Twinkies.

Erik catches him sneaking back into the house, he’s not surprised at all. He knows Erik can sense the metal in his chair but he assumed he’d at least give him the consideration to not call Peter in.

Peter predictability zero’s in on the Twinkies that Charles offers him.

“And you say I spoil him.”


	11. Father's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Father's day with two dad's means twice the gift hunting

Hank had meant it as a joke, the world’s best dad’s mugs he’d gotten as a matching set for Erik and Charles. Raven had loved it and had gotten Peter to dip his hand in paint instead of signing the card.

With Peter now old enough to scribble properly Raven refuses to let this father’s day slip by without at least a card for each of his dads.

Peter’s had an obsession with glitter for a solid month; Hank assures both Erik and Charles it’s perfectly normal for a four year old, so when he asks Hank to get the glitter for his cards, Hank makes sure to buy the biggest jar he can find. When Peter tries to open the top, launching the contents everywhere and only half on his picture, Hank regrets ever showing him the glitter in the lab. He’s picking glitter out of his fur for months.

Peter insists Hank buys him more; he has to make his papa’s card sparkly like the powers he has.

While Hank is off trying to remove the substance and acquire more Raven takes over supervision. Which currently means being shape shifted into Erik so Peter can draw him properly.

Raven assures him that his portrait can replace the Mona Lisa and Peter’s so excited the remainder of the glitter Hank hand scraped up from the table is back onto his fur when Peter runs by.

Charles assures Hank he’ll give him a moment’s rest and takes Peter out to get something nice for Erik.

“So what should we get your Papa.”

“Something he doesn’t have.”

“Okay, hmm how about we have some lunch and have a think then.” Charles grins and Peter nods sticking his tongue out in concentration as Charles and him talk ideas back and forth.

Peter settles on the idea of the pair of cufflinks that Charles had suggested, Charles can tell he had something else in mind and prods at Peter until he explains; that he’d seen one of those pottery shops; where you’d learn to make your bowls and he wanted to be able to create something that his Papa could add metal too when he’d bring it home. Charles thinks it’s a fantastic idea; until Peter drags him to sit behind a wheel and they both end up covered in clay and with a bowl that leans dangerously sideways and almost has no opening at the top. Still Charles enjoys it enough to book a few more classes with Peter, so they’ll have plenty of chances to make birthday and Christmas presents for others.

When they get back Erik doesn’t question their clothes, just looks up from where he’s trying to pull as much actual metal up from the glitter that’s still embedded in the carpet.

“So you ready to go tomorrow? For our attempt at getting your daddy something?” Peter nods trying to blank his face like he’d seen most of the adults do when they had to talk about serious things.

“Yes!” He grins and Erik nods.

“Wait I thought we were finishing the cards tomorrow?” Raven frowns and Erik nods.

“Yes I was going to take him shopping in the morning and then he can work on the cards later.”

“Card; I already finished yours!” Peter grins and Raven nods, the plan having been settled.

“So what do you think we should get you Daddy?”

“Hmm.” Peter screws up his face like he’s thinking and suddenly Charles prods into his mind.

“Peter, your dad said to stop, ah, yelling ‘dad stay out’ to him. He won’t bother you while we’re shopping.”

“Well now he wont!” Peter beams and Erik laughs bringing him out to the shopping center. He keeps a close feel on Peter, the metal bracelet and buttons on most of his clothes hum as Erik reaches for them; a constant reminder of where his son is.

Peter stays close despite Erik’s assurance that he can wander, he can tell Peter’s not sure what to get Charles and he offers an ice cream as a way to volley ideas back and forth.

“I wanna get him…” Peter trails off and Erik waits as he finishes the last of his ice cream.

“A photo album.” Erik nods along with Peter, avoiding saying that since Charles is a telepath he can if he wants access anyones ‘pictures’ from certain memories.

“That sounds great sweetie, do you know where we can get one?”

“No, I wanna make one with you.”

“Oh, alright.”

It doesn’t take them as long as Erik though, Peter seems to have a fully formed idea and even has a list, Erik recognises Raven’s handwriting and he laughs a little at her question marks after the different types of metal. Erik finds the picking out of the metal easy enough, they’ve bought a basic photo album for Erik to embellish and Peter’s taken it upon himself to direct Erik’s shaping and ornate designs. He’s also been writing in the book on the inside cover about how much he loves his daddy. Erik is carefully supervising the draft of that that Peter is writing on a notebook.

Raven takes the present away once they’ve wrapped it. Peter seems very smug and Erik tries not to feel nervous when he catches him and Raven giggling and muttering. Charles shrugs, keeping up his promise to not look in either of their minds. Erik feels marginally relieved when he catches Peter talking to Logan about breakfast as he walks by.

Erik wakes up to a soft knocking and laughs when the door speeds shut, which means Peter was checking if they were awake.

“Come in.” Charles seems to be enjoying whatever’s about to happen and Peter throws the door open grinning, Hank holding a tray that has breakfast on it.

When the tray’s are placed in front of both Charles and Erik they can see by the burnt pancakes in the middle of the stack Logan let Peter take over, judging that it’s only one pancake it didn’t last long.

Peter and Hank leave with the promise of presents after and the assurance that there will be no accident today. Hank sullenly agrees explaining how he’s out of the lab, he needs more materials for some experiment anyways.

Okay so let’s give your Papa his gift first.” Charles is grinning at the box Peter had decided to put the vase they’d made in. there’s coils of the nicest metal that Charles could get his hand on, although he did run it by Hank who seemed impressed with the lack of alloy’s involved. Erik grins, reaching for the metal and letting it hover and float around him in an almost liquid form.

“You get to help too Papa, see! There’s a spot on the vase for you to put the metal!!” Peter grins and Erik’s face softens.

“Thank you Peter, I love it, very thoughtful.” Peter watches as Erik pushes some of the metal into the groves, watching as it flows and sinks into all the groves and rivets that he’d formed with Charles.

Charles grins when Peter pushes the gift bag towards him. Erik’s excited as well, despite supervising the writing Peter had done on the inside Erik isn’t actually sure what it says. He knows he’ll read it after Charles but the warmth Charles can’t help projecting onto him and Peter.

“Thank you Peter.” Charles grins but looks concerned when Peter looks suddenly panicked and pulls both him and Erik closer.

“What about Logan and Hank…”

“They’re your uncles; we can get them something for family day.” Erik cuts in the building panic from Peter and lets the different colours flicker in the metal on the vase to distract him.

“And now for your present.”

“But I’m not a dad!” Peter looks concerned and Charles laughs nodding.

“You’re not, but you are our son, and we wanted to get you something nice.” Peter examines the shoebox from every side and carefully peels the tape from the sides and folds the wrapping paper.

“Whoa!!!!” the tissue paper is thrown to the side and Peter holds up one of the silver roller skates grinning.

“Now until you know how to skate you can’t use them with your powers…” Charles amends and Peter jerks his head excitement on his face.

“I can use this with my powers??!!!”

Erik just turns his horrified expression to Charles who looks sheepish.

“I didn’t think he would’ve not used them on his own…”

“This is the best father’s day ever!!!” Peter grins throwing his arms around both his dads, momentarily stopping the horror at Peter using his speed with his new gift.

“Next year we’re just getting him glitter.” They can hear Hank’s annoyed scream from across the mansion.


	12. Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a picnic with his dad’s

Peter’s skeptical about Erik’s insistence about spending family time outside. Peter knows that usually it means his dad’s want alone time under the guise of letting him run and do tricks on the grass.

“A picnic.” Erik grins and Peter’s eyes stay narrowed.

“So lunch in the backyard.”

“Well if you want to be boring.” Erik laughs when Peter’s eyes widen. Erik’s using his gifts, floating all the silverware and plates made from shimmering metals out into the yard, there’s a table set up and Peter almost flings himself into the seat under the tree.

“What happened to a picnic blanket and a basket then?” Charles looks mildly unimpressed to the table and Erik nods off to the side, a blanket and basket sitting, waiting.

“Now we all have a choice.”

“Why would anyone choose the blanket!” Peter grins and laughs pulling the fork and knife over to his table as Charles grins nodding back to the blanket and basket.

“We can do both.” Erik grumbles, of course the two people he loves most have polar opposite wants.

“Can we really?” Both Peter and Charles say skeptically before they both start laughing and Erik breathes a sigh of relief.

Charles sets the table, Erik offers to help but Charles refuses, apparently it’s the least he can do considering his husband has made the food. Peter rushes by laughing and Charles can faintly catch the words implying that Peter himself had made the food and that both his dad’s should be setting up. Erik grins, trying to muscle his way into Charles helping him, but just finds himself sitting in a chair while Charles’ grin grows as the table is set, a blur of silver the only thing letting him know Peter is moving around.

“You could have let me.”

“Well we have to teach our son good manners.”

“We do but maybe not so fast.” Erik grins a little floating up the two knives and a spoon at his place setting.

“Where did you get a spoon?” Charles looks a little confused and Peter shrugs.

“It was in the basket.”

“You didn’t hit any of the food did you?” Charles peers in and pretends to be shocked, pulling out a container that holds a perfectly frosted cake. 

“I didn’t hit anything; i’m getting better at control!” Peter grins.

“Mhmm, you’re doing very well, now let’s eat our sandwiches and then we can have this cake after.” Erik chides and passes Peter his sandwich on the plate he’s hovering in the air.

“I’m still convinced most of this ‘backyard’ is just the forest.”

“It is..” Charles rolls his eyes fondly and Erik huffs, laughing slightly.

“I mean it’s basically a national park Charles.”

“Hm that could be a tax write off.” Charles winks and then turns his attention.

“Dad! Look!” Peter grins as he seems to appear and then vanish; a faint silver betraying where he was before he’s across the lake laughing.

“Did you just run across the water?”

“Yeah!! I was practicing, I wanted to surprise Hank! He said Logan would owe him twenty if I could do it.”

“Why do your friends bet on our son?”

“Why does he encourage it?” Charles counters and Erik laughs.

“He gets a cut of it every time Hank wins.”

“Who taught him that?” Charles narrows his eyes and Erik laughs more.

“Your sister.” He counters back and Peter rushes back over. Charles is about to ask why his son came rushing back but he hears the rustling of foil and turns his head to spot the cake being hovered out and then slices carved from a thin ware as it’s shifted to their plates, all without Erik moving a finger.

“Alright Magneto we get it; you and your son like showing off your powers.”

“Well what else am I going to do ! Neither of you are letting me go on real missions! Shopping trips don’t count!!!”

“Well you are the best at getting Hank in and out of the shops fast, and that’s even without your powers.”

“I could go on missions! I’d be in and out before anyone ever knew!!!”

“Well you’d have to train first.”

“I already do!” Peter counters Erik’s comment.

“No you don’t, you’d have to do training with everyone in the mansion; you’d have to fight them like how everyone fights Logan on Thursdays…”

“I can do that! It’s today I can go right now!”

“You can’t go; it hasn’t been thirty minutes after eating.” Erik laughs when Peter scowls.

“That’s for swimming Papa.”

“Oh, you’re right, well you can’t go anyways because it’s family time; and we’re enjoying our picnic.”

“We’ve finished all the cake, and the food.”

“Yes and now we’re going to watch the sunset. Won’t that be nice?” Charles reaches his hand out and Peter slide onto his lap, huffing but staying seated and watching the sunset with both his fathers.


	13. Mother's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles and Erik help Peter make mother’s day presents

“Peter really it’s alright you don’t need to do anything if you don’t want…” Charles and Erik assure him and Peter looks mildly offended.

“She’s my mom.”

“Yes but..” Erik doesn’t say it, but Peter understands when he looks to his broken arm.

“She won’t; it’ll be fine…” He shrugs off his father’s concern, his latest training session had gone a little badly; he had been a little late in timing and when Logan had thrown the portion of the wall that Hank had ripped through Peter hadn’t moved in time. Well he had, he’d gotten Raven out of the way but himself was another matter.

“We can help if you..”

“NO! Uhh, No thank you. I want to do it myself.” His face is pink at his own outburst and Erik nods, simply leaving the card making supplies on the table.

“I know it’s a tradition but I think Madga will understand…”

“Let him try Charles, it’s tradition for him to make her at least the card on his own. We can help him with the gift then…” Charles seems pleased but laughs a little, no doubt having seen whatever Peter is endeavouring to give his mother for mother’s day.

Peter emerges later that day, card addressed, his writing only slightly slanted, but the way he hovers after dinner lets Erik know he needs his help.

“Yes?”

“You remember the photo album you helped me design?”

“Mhmm, do you want another one? I didn’t realize we had that many photos of your mother…”

“No, just, something similar, if you’re available.”

“I’m always here to help you Peter.”

“Even if I’m going to boss you around?”

“Especially then.” Erik laughs as Peter pulls out the picture, and the base frame.

Peter wakes up frantic in the middle of the night stumbling into their room in a way he hadn’t since he was little.

“Peter?” Erik grumbles and Charles is asleep, despite his gift he’d always been a heavy sleeper.

“I forgot to make one for Raven!” He sounds terrified, Erik sighs relieved they’re not having a repeat of the time he got a stomach bug, and he slides out of bed deliberately trying to wake Charles. It doesn’t work and he brings Peter down to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and some food while he decides to help him with whatever last minute gift he’s decided Raven will appreciate.

“You’re almost eighteen you know; you don’t need to do this every year..”

“I didn’t, not for Raven; I haven’t done it in a while; but ever since Kurt showed up she keeps looking at him weird.”

”Weird?”

“Like how Hank looks at you and Dad, like he’s miss- no like he’s lacking something, like whatever is happening in front; anyways; I wanted to do something nice for her; like I used too..” He shrugs a little and Erik nods, surprised that Peter hadn’t caught on exactly who Kurt was. He’s confused at Peter’s request, it seems so simple, everything needed is nestled in the lab and the actual gift comes together in a few moments. Peter thanks him and Erik want’s to ask more before he can, Peter pulls him into a hug.

“I know it sounds silly, but she never wears anything in all her forms, each time she changes there’s nothing of who she was.” Erik nods still interested to see how Peter will explain it to her.

Magda spotted them when Peter had come in trying to hide the cast his arm was in. She’d teared up a little which had worried Peter more than Madga herself had been worried.

“I don’t see how it’s necessary.” Magda doesn’t bother hiding her smile.

“Well he would have tried to make one without our help; and I can imagine the rest of the house would have made a production out of it. I would rather not have my carpets covered in glitter. Again.” 

Magda still has tears at the edges of her eyes from the card and Peter’s hug. She doesn’t say anything about how excitedly he’d screamed Mama before looking around the cafe embarrassed. A few people were smiling at all of them as they sat and ordered lunch.

“And your present!” He reminds her when they’ve finished lunch. Madge grins opening the box he’d pushed across the table, careful to avoid the plates that had yet to be cleared.

Madga’s staring at the picture; she knows it’s one Charles had captured. Her and Peter laughing, their faces locked in the same expression, Erik looking awkwardly at both of them, pie dripping off his face. Peter hadn’t stopped smiling for the rest of the day, Magda knows, much to their annoyance she’d cemented April fool’s day as the best day in history in Peter’s mind. The framework is Erik’s doing, but the design looks like something Peter and her were talking about the last time they had lunch together. It’s a soft shimmering metal, Madga can tell that much, having been with Erik means a basic level of metal types. The knotwork and winding spirals look even better than what she was trying to describe to Peter, the intricate braids and stitchwork from her grandparent’s blanket. She’d shown him the blanket in pictures; she didn’t have it with her; it had been lost when she left. Peter repeatedly asks her where it was lost. She doesn’t tell him, she can’t, not yet he’s too young and it’s too fresh for her; so she assures him she just left it in her attic.

Magda finds the blanket with a letter a week later. It’s Peter’s scrawl and assurance that he’d found a friend in high places that could take him to where Charles told him never to go. Magda meets Kurt Wagner two days later and he’s grinning looking sheepishly at the blanket and the floor instead of her eyes. He apologizes but that it meant so much to Peter he thought it would be okay, he offers to take it back to the building he found it in but she just asks to go in its place. She prays in her family’s home for the first time in years.

Raven doesn’t say anything when Hank hands her the card; she turns it in her hands. She recognises Charles’ writing but there’s no need to send her a letter when he’s a telepath and they’re in the same house. She opens it, and Charles can’t help but smile at the warmth and happiness that’re pouring out from her in waves. Peter’s grinning from where he’s hidden behind the couch, waiting to surprise her with the actual gift.

He frowns a little, he wasn’t expecting his aunt to cry at just the card and he’s worried the present will be too much. He hesitates but steps forward grinning when he runs to her and she pulls him into a hug.

“That was so kind Peter and- What’s this?”

“A present! Papa said if I gave Mama one I’d need to give you one too!” Raven nods glancing back to make sure the card, the drawing of her and Peter is still there. She’s curious now and when he offers the bag towards her she carefully sits down with it, to unfold the tissue paper.

A thin black ring is nestled under the mountain of tissue paper and she recognises it’s like the one Peter wears on his thumb.

“It’s a mood ring! It changes colours with how you feel! Kinda like how you can change!”

“Oh, it’s very pretty, thank you.” She slides it on over one of her fingers. 

Peter watches her after missions, whenever she’s not in her natural form, he looks for it. The mood ring usually doesn’t fluctuate from the blue green of content. She notices sometimes it will change when she’s around Hank but he’d explained it as a temperature change, not an actual mood sensing device.

Peter thinks he caught her, she’s in her preferred human form, the blonde one; she’d been grocery shopping and Peter watches as she drops the form, his eyes focused on the scales changing on her hand, watching as they flicker under the ring, like always. He’s yet to catch her taking it off or faking wearing it.


	14. First Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate Idea to Peter’s ‘first word’

Charles had implied that Hank would be on babysitting duty for the week. It was mainly because Logan and Raven had a few missions they had to handle and Azazel had been banned from babysitting after the third time he’d brought Peter to some remote island to run around his excess energy. Despite the implication Charles hadn’t actually asked Hank to babysit, which meant Hank was trying to casually keep an eye on Peter even if both Charles and Erik are sitting next to him and Peter is sitting on their left.

Erik asks Hank to watch Peter; Hank doesn’t bother asking why; he can see the way Erik’s gaze steels and Angel and Azazel flank him. He wonders if the mission Logan and Raven had gone on is failing but then Charles soothes those thoughts with the image of the three of them going on a different mission; that Logan and Raven are bickering over the next rest stop meal.

Hank wasn’t against the idea of Peter being in the lab; in fact he preferred it to Erik because while both he and Peter asked questions Peter’s were usually easier to explain and more basic science; whereas Erik’s were complicated questions often involving his powers versus whatever experiment or test Hank was running.

Of course there are exceptions, and since Hank is working with explosive chemicals he’s sort of forced Peter away, under the guise of working on a birthday present for him. He assures Peter it will only take an hour and he swears he can hear Peter pacing back and forth in the hallway. He’s regretting using the birthday present excuse as he’d already gotten Peter his. He knows he probably has another two weeks of using that excuse before Peter refuses to accept it. He also prefers Peter’s annoyed huffs and pouting at dinner over having to explain to Charles and Erik why Peter was missing an arm or worse.

“Holy shit.” Hank sighs at the rubble he now has to clean up.

“Shit!” Hank freezes swallowing and turning to see Peter appearing. He must have run back to avoid the rubble but nowhere near far enough to avoid hearing what Hank just said.

“Oh my god your dad’s are going to kill me.”

“Shit.” Peter nods and Hank has to laugh.

“Yeah kid; shit is right.” Peter grins at him stumbling over the rubble.

“Hey whoa, no, bad idea there.” Hank heaves him up onto his shoulders. Peter grins laughing as Hank slowly starts to clean the rubble while balancing Peter as a training exercise. 

He tells Charles this when he makes his way to the lab, after hearing the explosion but sensing only mild distress from Hank, not enough to confirm Peter is hurt.

Hank, to his credit manages to go a full four hours without alerting Charles to Peter’s new word, it’s Logan that does it and Hank has never been happier to have his fur to hide the way his colour drains on his face.

“Shit!” Peter pouts, huffing and making annoyed faces at Logan who had just dropped one of the five plates he was trying to balance making his way from the kitchen, of course the plate he had managed to drop was Peters, but Charles isn’t focused on that, just on how intensely Hank is trying to think about the food.

“Did you teach my son a swear word?” Charles hisses after dinner and Raven looks incredibly hurt, Charles assures Hank it’s just because she wanted to teach Peter his first swear word.

“No; I didn’t mean to… I was working with; well dangerous chemicals so I told him to wait outside and he was doing so well, and since I finished with it anyways.. I lied to him saying I was working on his birthday present and he got excited, and decided to run looking for it… and, well extreme heat from his speed…. Combustible materials.” Hank doesn’t need to continue just projecting the mental image of the pile of rubble currently in his lab being a little smaller and more silver and red. He knows it’s a little cruel to Charles but he also knows it’s a very real possibility.

The rest of the house is none the wiser for the potential danger and Peter seems to love the dividing attention saying his new word seems to get him.

Everyone manages to forget about it; after a full day of Peter saying it and everyone slowly losing the interest and shock value of him saying a swear word. Peter will occasionally grumble about it but over the rest of the week he stops saying it over and over and he only occasionally says it. Once this happens Charles decides to teach him about swear words and other ‘not nice words’ as Hank puts it.

Surprisingly Peter seems aware enough to not use the words in public; which is the only actual compromise he seems to have made; despite talking to him about leaving his toys and using his powers to get first in line for pizza night and ice cream sundaes. 

They’re meant to be meeting Magda for lunch but they all decide it would be better to have a picnic since it’s such a nice day and it gives both Charles and Erik an excuse to let Peter stay and not have to worry about power slip-ups. While there hadn’t been any yet they weren’t willing to test their luck and Magda was more than happy to enjoy lunch provided by Logan in the backyard.

“Has anything else been happening since last time we had lunch?”

“He beat his last speed record; Hank said it would improve with age; there might be a point he could outrace waves or fire even.” Erik looks smug which brings Peter over, excited to see his mother again but clearly planning to gloat about the speed tests he’d been undergoing.

“I learned a new word.” He mumbles as Erik and Charles are talking amongst themselves, Peter having excitedly been babbling about being able to run faster than Papa and Hank. Magda had been genuinely impressed by that and asked him if he could run with her one day. He’d reminded her the only person he could run with right now was Logan, since he could heal and they weren’t sure with the super speed what would happen otherwise.

“Oh a new word did Charles teach you?”

“No, Uncle Hank did!” Magda raises an eyebrow, she knows Peter only calls Hank uncle when he’s done something Peter himself deems cool.

“Well it must be pretty great then. If Uncle Hank said it.”

“Papa said I’m not allowed to say it.”

“Well he’s busy.” Magda grins and winks and Peter laughs a little and leans forward, Erik arches an eyebrow but decides whatever his son and Magda are whispering about poses no threat, until he hears Magda’s laughter after Peter voices the newest word he’s learned.

“Shit!” Peter grins and Charles looks horrified, but Erik is laughing along with Magda after a moment Charles joins in. Magda is still grinning when Hank appears to let them know desert is almost ready.

“I’m surprised Hank.”

“Oh you heard then?” He hangs his head a little and Magda pats his shoulder.

“Yes, you finally did something funny.” Peter’s laughing well into dinner over that, and both Magda and Erik have moments where they join in.


	15. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's first X-men mission

Peter lets them fuss. He knows they’re nervous. He’d been training for months officially, but in reality he’d been training since he first got his powers.

“Don’t worry; it’s just a retrieval mission. We’ve gotten wind of a mutant that’s been trapped.” Raven assures them and Azazel grins trying his best to look responsible by fussing with the clasps on Peter’s suit, since he’d been the one to bring word at dinner, when everyone could hear. The minute Peter heard it was a non-violent mission he was begging to go. Azazel had stepped down which brought the rule of three’s back up for missions, one to watch, two to fight as they’d all agreed. He said he couldn’t just teleport in and out, there was some forcefield that stopped him apparently. Erik is convinced he just wanted to use it as an excuse for skipping Peter’s birthday present.

“A mutant fighting ring?!” Erik hisses when Charles lets him know the extent of the mission that his sister and Logan are taking Peter on.

“He’ll be fine! We’re watching him!” Logan assures.

“I don’t think taking my son to a mutant fighting ring is-”

“It’s the off season, meaning they just do training…”

“So the plan is? We just run in and-” Peter interrupts grinning.

“No Peter. The plan is you go in, and act like you want to join and-”

“You’re using my son as bait!!” Charles scowls and Raven looks unimpressed.

“No, if you’d let me finish.” Erik grins and Charles sighs settling back into his chair with a glum look on his face.

“So you go in, and then go off to the back, then I come in as you; they think you’ve escaped, and we grab the mutant, who will be in the back and get out.”

“What’s Logan doing?”

“Keeping watch, as usual.” Raven laughs when Peter grumbles about not getting to do anything

“So do I get a code name? Since you two…” Peter nods to Raven and Logan.

“Fine okay, since we’re using codenames; I’m Wolverine, this is Mystique, and you’re.. “

“Quicksilver.” Erik grins floating the shimmering silver trimmed goggles to his son’s hands.

“I don’t want to think what would happen if you got a bug in your eye.”

“I don’t think that’ll happen Papa.”

“Of course, and with the goggles it definitely won’t.”

Raven laughs under her breath but the all stare slightly horrified.

“Mhhm off season then?” Peter frowns at the crowd gathering.

“Guess out intel was wrong..” Raven huffs.

“Not completely. There’s a mutant in there that can manipulate other mutants; so they have a surefire way to fix the bets.” Logan gestures to a separate caged area that they can see behind the fighting cage.

“You’re telling me these idiots haven’t thought of fixing the lottery or something with that mutant…” Peter scoffs rolling his eyes a little.

“Amateurs” He hisses and Logan tries not to laugh at how high Peter jumps when Raven taps his shoulder.

“Right, focus, sorry.”

“Hey, remember the plan and-Quicksilver!”

He fixes the problem before Raven can finish shouting his name. He’s already run past the guards turning the corner, they’re now punching each other, the ones farther in have been tied up and before he returns he grabs a hot dog from the stands for everyone.

“Yeah?” He cocks his head laughing as Logan immediately eats the hot dog in his open hand.

“Don’t do that! We’re just here to find the mutant and get out.” Logan’s pointing out how the mutant, the one they’re looking for, is sitting by the announcer; that he likes to keep her close, so if he needs to make a fast getaway he can.

They’ve managed to sneak in. It’s easy Peter reasons, once Logan buys him a hat to hide his hair. No one bothers them, a family coming out to see the freaks fight, Peter assumes is what they’re thinking. The guards still haven’t been found, Mystique pretending to be their supervisor and talking to the announcer and boss that there’s no need, there seems to be no threat, and whatever intel they’d gotten about a mutant attack must have been false. Logan’s pushed him towards the aisle seat, not that he needs the space really but it helps to have a clearer path than potentially hurting people. They’re both sitting opposite the area where the announcer sits. Raven makes her way back, random foods and drinks for her and Logan, Logan offers her a napkin and she wipes blood from her knuckles. Peter wonders how much of the plan they’ve been sticking to. He doesn’t say anything nervous that they’ll have to watch a fight. Peter just wants to turn away when the announcer calls to the death. That a tie, or a knock-out would be so rare it wasn’t even on the betting pool.

“They’ll be okay Peter. He’s trying to make the most money, he put two of the strongest together, and then looked at that mutant, so she’ll manipulate them into a tie.” Logan assures. Peter still looks from between his fingers, white knuckled as he vibrates in his seat just wanting to run away as fast as he can.

“Come on what’s the likelihood of that happening.”

“With her, it’s already been chosen.” Mystique frowns as the announcer sit’s back down, the three of them finally able to see the mutant more than just a shadow.

Peter didn’t think anything could make him slow down, but when he sees the girl sitting next to the announcer, manacles and chains on her wrists and ankles, blood drying on them, he freezes. Mystique is about to ask what’s happened but before she can even finish the thought Peter’s standing holding the girl, the announcer and most of the other staff have been tied up. Wolverine doesn’t say anything if a few of them have Peter’s boot prints embedded a little too deeply. Peter had managed to pull them all out of the arena, they’re in the alley to the side and Peter still hasn’t stopped shaking.

The girl stirs slightly and that’s when something goes wrong; it’s when her gift sparks out and Peter realizes the cuffs were a way to keep her powers subdued. Peter holds her tight and runs. Hoping to avoid anyone getting hurt. Instead he finds himself rooted to the spot, both he and the girl staring at each other.

“Quicksliver, what’s going on….” Mystique hisses. He doesn’t say anything, not to her.

“We’re going to get you out, back home yeah? To your Mama, and Papa.”

“No Papa.” It’s the first thing she says and Peter nods.

“Just Mama then. Come on. I need to use my powers, to get us out, okay?” He looks nervously and the girl nods, nothing changes, except there’s a silver blur and then Peter’s back grinning.

“Okay we’re good to go. Come on.”

Peter feels a little weird leading everyone back towards the car that they’d taken but they make it back without any issues and when Peter finally relaxes in the back seat, the girl carefully buckles herself and him into the seatbelt. Logan grins a little at this and Peter thanks her.

“Okay, so you want to go back to your Mama then, do you know her name, or where she lives?”

“We don’t have time for that. They’ll be getting out any second the entire reason they haven’t come is because of her powers, right sweetheart.” Raven’s relaxed from the human form she took and recognition flickers in the girl’s eyes as she nods. The car ride is silent and uneventful, Peter is about to ask what’s going on, but he knows the girl’s powers, the probability of him asking is now zero, despite his want to ask.

”Papa…” Peter shuffles forward and Charles is already searching his mind to try to find injuries. Charles finds nothing. Instead he finds Peter holding up a young girl who seems barely conscious, her hair is matted and obscuring her face and her hands shake as she tries to grip onto Peter. Charles can’t seem to push into her mind, like she’s blocking him and he assumes her a telepath; until Hank moves to check her over and suddenly his fur and claws vanish, leaving him in his human form. Charles begins to consider that maybe the girl is similar to Jimmy, one of the students who’s gift seems to void anyone else’s. But then Peter doesn’t stumble, his speed pushing her towards the couch, towards Erik, who hovers a blanket with no effort as usual.

“What happened? Her gift?” Charles asks Logan as Peter refuses to talk just curled around the girl with Erik hovering, trying to clean a cut on her arm. Charles still can’t hear any of their thoughts, and he doesn’t like the idea of this girl blocking him from his family.

Charles wonders if maybe someone is looking out for him when all of a sudden both Peter and Erik’s thoughts swarm him, he jerks back slightly, Peter’s inner voice a constant flurry of motion, Charles, like always is only able to pick out a few words, unless he focus’ more, but the main thought drawing his attention is Erik’s. I have to tell Magda, I have to tell Magda. Charles is confused, until he looks from Erik’s point of view; he knows Erik hates this, but he looks down at the girl, her eyes tired yet still wide with fear and he sees a childhood picture of Magda instead of this wounded girl. There are features he doesn’t recognise in Erik or in Magda and he assumes this is Peter’s half sister.

When Magda arrives, Wanda is sleeping. She’d calmed down enough to eat and tell them a little bit about what had happened. Charles can already see the way Peter sits a little straighter and seems to be more polite. He mentions this thought to Erik, but Erik’s only train of thought is how similar this could end to the first lunch about Peter and his gifts.

Charles wonders what that would be like, letting the daydream play out, when Magda is sitting in the main room; when Wanda walks in, he knows that it will not end like it had for Peter.

He’s watching Peter, surprised to see his son so excited. He debates peering into Peter’s mind but Erik pulls him to the side.

“Don’t let Peter have this time with his sister.”

“How did you know?”

“You pout when you’re considering it, same with me and Raven. You try to avoid doing it to your family. What do you want to look for anyways?”

“If he’s jealous of her.”

“For her gift? He only made the lottery joke twice.”

“No that she has their mother.”

“I think Peter outweighs her in the family department.” Erik grins casually gesturing to the rest of the mansion’s residents.

“Besides, considering how he literally just saved her life, I think we’ll be seeing her plenty. Besides, she’ll need somewhere to practice.”

“Practice?”

“What’s the probability she has poor power control?” Erik hums watching as Peter grins pointing out various things in the garden, he makes some sort of sweeping hand gesture and Wanda lights up, Erik’s about to say something but then Charles starts laughing, storm clouds appearing and drenching them. Peter trudges into the house, but the smile on his face says he’s planning something. Charles looks from Erik who’s shaking his head at Magda, to Magda whose annoyed face does not match her thoughts.

“Magda, it’s far too late for you to be going home, you really should just stay the night. We can regroup in the morning.”

“Regroup huh?” It’s Hank who gets the dig in and Charles looks unimpressed when Peter, Magda and Wanda look at him confused.

“The last time that happened, he,” Hank waves a claw towards Erik who looks smug. “Ended up bringing his friendship club to live here; regroup is codeword for order a u-haul and get packing.” Peter’s gone before Magda can protest, and everyone can hear him and Wanda excitedly shouting about which room she gets. It’s only after Charles sighs, projecting a very calm ‘inside voices please’ that the conversation can resume without the interruption of shouting.


End file.
